Champlagnes - (TG F, OZ J & F, NH F) - (Sofitel, Hyatt, Conrad, Hilton)
Apr 29, 2014, 4:05 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Thanks for all the input so far everybody 
I actually saw the gold plane again the other day.
price123: I'm currently wondering how I'll fly TG F again now. Lifemiles are really good for a lot of things, but TG F from LHR is not one of them. Still, I'm going to have some good OW TRs coming up!
thesly The TG assistant asked me where I was going and how. I figured I'd take a taxi as they're always so cheap in Asia. total cost to Lumphini was around 300-400THB including tolls. Make sure you have cash on you to pay the tolls as you go. There's a couple in a row, they total less than 100THB. There are hundreds of taxis at the taxi rank at all times. I've never had to wait for one. The price is metered.
I actually saw the gold plane again the other day.
price123: I'm currently wondering how I'll fly TG F again now. Lifemiles are really good for a lot of things, but TG F from LHR is not one of them. Still, I'm going to have some good OW TRs coming up!
thesly The TG assistant asked me where I was going and how. I figured I'd take a taxi as they're always so cheap in Asia. total cost to Lumphini was around 300-400THB including tolls. Make sure you have cash on you to pay the tolls as you go. There's a couple in a row, they total less than 100THB. There are hundreds of taxis at the taxi rank at all times. I've never had to wait for one. The price is metered.
Apr 29, 2014, 10:10 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Virtuoso, Marriott Stars/Luminous, Hilton Impresario, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle, Hyatt Prive etc
Posts: 2,004
Apr 30, 2014, 12:24 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Sofitel So - Bangkok
I was really looking forward to this stay. I had contacted the hotel prior to booking my room, in order to ensure that I would receive a Club Room, with my specific choice of element: water. The rooms in the hotel are divided by element (water, earth, fire, wind and metal), water to me looked like the coolest. In addition to this I requested that my room have a Lumphini Park view.
The response from the hotel was very quick, informative and friendly. I was told that I would indeed receive club access and that everything possible would be done, to ensure that I received the view/room type that I requested.
My first impression of the hotel was fantastic, the exterior is very slick.
I was greeted by two members of staff at the outdoor reception podium, one of whom immediately took my bags. Save for the walk down the jetbridge, with my carry-on, I had yet to physically come into contact with either of my bags since arriving in Thailand!
The receptionist asked for my name and upon confirming my reservation, arranged for me to be escorted to the Club Signature floor, for check-in.
We first took an elevator to the main lobby floor, which also houses a lovely bar area (where I would later use my platinum drinks coupons).
We then proceeded to another bank of elevators, for the final ascent to the cub floor.
View of the ballroom floor, whilst waiting for lifts to the Club Floor
This kind of check-in is not difficult to do, particularly at this early time of day but it definitely makes you feel like you are being extra specially looked after. I was asked to take a seat on the sofa and offered a drink. Another double espresso, very strong and slightly sour, giving way to a sweet finish. Excellent. Things were looking good.
View of Signature Reception, as seen from the Club
Coffee!
The lounge itself was decorated in a very modern yet elegant way. The feeling I constantly had throughout my stay was that this hotel managed to be everything a W aspires to be, whilst also being friendly and elegant (as opposed to aloof and tacky).
Check-in was very quick and easy, I had my Platinum/ Club Signature benefits explained to me:
Early check-in (it was still pre-7am at this point)
Late check out
Breakfast in the lounge or main restaurant
Afternoon tea
Evening drinks and canapes
I was also asked when I planned to check out. When I said it would be early in the morning the girl checking me in said they could organise a take-away breakfast box for me. I said this wouldn’t be necessary but thought this was a really nice touch.
I was given time to finish my coffee and as soon as I exited the lounge, the same girl was waiting, ready to show me to my room.
The hallways in the Sofitel So are enormous and by far the most impressively designed of any hotel I’ve ever seen.
I almost felt bad about the amount of wasted floorspace. The contrasting sculptures, lights and textures really make you feel like you are somewhere special, somewhere that has been designed with precision and flair.
My first impression of the room was superb. This was even better than the pictures on the website. I particularly liked the fact that there was an Apple TV, for internet browsing, youtube etc. as well as a comfortable sofa chair and table next to it.
The most striking feature of the room, aside from the view, was the enormous bathtub. Seriously you could fit 4 people in that thing. I also quite liked the glass behind the bed, which permitted natural light to enter the walk in wardrobe/ dressing room.
Up yours Nespresso
I really liked this view from the room
I had told the girl checking me in that I was really tired after my flight, she showed me how to close the electronic blinds asked me if I needed anything else and wished me a pleasant sleep.
My alarm woke me a couple of hours later. I felt like I’d left half my brain on the moon. The bed was so comfy but I knew that I didn’t want to waste my day lying in bed, particularly when there was an Asian hotel breakfast buffet waiting for me downstairs!
So, I staggered down to the restaurant floor. A discombobulated, somnambulous marionette of a man.
My mental state was in no way improved by this seeing this guy, greeting me across a pool of water, behind which was some restaurant seating.
I began to formulate a plan to pay him for safe passage to the seats, perhaps he’d pose me a riddle… then I realised that the restaurant entrance was behind me.
I was asked for my room number and sat in the middle of a room absolutely buzzing with atmosphere. The Red Oven restaurant has tons of natural light, high ceilings and great views across the park. There is also an outside terrace area and a sleek looking bar at one end. In this room I strongly felt that I was far from home. This level of energy is just never present in Europe.
I forgot to take pictures in the restaurant because I was a foggy passenger in a barely responsive cadaver. I apologise.
Anyway, the food and coffee were really good. There were approximately one billion dishes to choose from, as is par for the course in Asia. This included everything from dim sum to pasta to freshly baked pastries. The food throughout my stay was phenomenal. A good deal of the staff at the Sofitel are French and this includes the chefs. This really showed in the baking and cheese selections, in particular.
After breakfast I headed back to the Signature Club floor to ask for directions and a map for the day. I was told that Club room guests get a free one day pass for the Skytrain (an extra benefit not mentioned on my letter), which is a nice touch. The Club desk staff were always super friendly and helpful, whenever I came back to my room they would welcome me back and ask specifics about how my day had gone. This was always done in a charming and friendly way, rather than the by the book professionalism that seems to underpin proceedings at other hotels in this league.
After a day of sightseeing I headed back to the room and found that some fruit, snacks and drinks had been left for me
Pretty much every time I set foot in my room, I noticed that some amount of cleaning/ tidying had taken place. Toiletries were always replenished, clothing was folded and tidied and fresh bottles of water were left in the fridge.
I went to check out the pool in the afternoon, it was super busy but absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, my first little corner wasn't the best:
I would recommend avoiding the late afternoon here, as it is the time when everyone has come back from a busy day and is looking to relax.
At night , lit up, the pool was fantastic and deserted
Before 3pm the pool was always quiet too
that's more like it
After a bit of time relaxing by the pool I decided to investigate the cocktail hour at the lounge.The food spread was fantastic, with fresh items being brought out constantly.There was a decent selection of French and Australian wines and staff were very proactive in coming to serve you cocktails (although you could always help yourself too).
I liked the fact that staff came round to take last orders, a few minutes before the cocktail hour was due to finish. At no point did I ever feel that this property was penny pinching (something which cannot be said for numerous other 5* properties in Asia, particularly in Japan).
The staff were also great at remembering drinks preferences. I came in for a decaf before bed at 11pm one evening and was greeted by the same server the following morning, asking if I still wanted decaf or if I needed some caffeine in the morning. Little touches like this, really set the Sofitel So apart.
These burgers were so freaking good.
The view from the Club terrace isn't bad either
In the morning of day 2 I checked out the gym facilities, before breakfast. The facilities were great but I felt that the gym staff were substantially less polished than those on the club floor. They didn’t apologise at all when I pointed out that I’d been given a dirty towel, they pushed past guests using machines, in order to show other guests around etc. Not huge failings but I feel they need pointing out, for the sake of completeness.
On day two I had breakfast on the terrace of the club lounge.
I went for the eggs Benedict a la carte, as well as a selection of bites from the buffet.
The EB were cooked and presented perfectly.
On day three I went for the Japanese breakfast option, after the buffet, this was (once again) excellent.
Dessert? I guess.
Throughout my stay, I also made use of the spa. I’ve never really done this before but the prices were really competitive and the stairs leading up from the gym looked really inviting. The whole process was very well executed, from the greeting on arrival, confirmation of music and tea choices, the finish of all the surfaces in the spa, even the presentation of the chocolates was cool and different.
I honestly felt like I could completely relax and forget about any distractions of the outside world.
I liked it so much that I ended up going three times for three different treatments.
Other notes: you get 2 pieces of dry cleaning per day for free as a Platinum member. This wasn’t mentioned in the letter but the staff were aware of the benefit when asked. I wanted a couple of things cleaning before my early morning flight to NRT. I handed them in at about 3pm. When I came back from dinner, at 10pm, my shirt and trousers were already hung up in my wardrobe.
As a platinum member you also get a drinks voucher for use in the lobby bar.
Because I was staying alone, the hostess proactively suggested that I should get two drinks and made sure that the server knew this. I said I was heading out to dinner and didn’t want to have two drinks beforehand, she said no problem you can have your second drink later.
True to her word, a few hours later I came back, the server immediately recognised me and asked “Mr Jermyn, same again”?
I also checked out the rooftop bar, for a final nightcap. The ambience was very trendy and ‘hip’, if you’re into that sort of thing. I personally prefer the laid back atmosphere in the lobby bar and club lounge. Although, I have to admit, the view was pretty cool.
Overall this was one of my best ever hotel stays. The staff were a huge part of this. Despite this being a 5*hotel, the service managed to be proactive and friendly without any stuffiness or excess formality at all. The most formal people were those behind desks at reception downstairs and in the main lobby, even they would always grin and greet you with a a wai whenever you walked past.
'So' long Sofitel. See you again soon!
I was really looking forward to this stay. I had contacted the hotel prior to booking my room, in order to ensure that I would receive a Club Room, with my specific choice of element: water. The rooms in the hotel are divided by element (water, earth, fire, wind and metal), water to me looked like the coolest. In addition to this I requested that my room have a Lumphini Park view.
The response from the hotel was very quick, informative and friendly. I was told that I would indeed receive club access and that everything possible would be done, to ensure that I received the view/room type that I requested.
My first impression of the hotel was fantastic, the exterior is very slick.
I was greeted by two members of staff at the outdoor reception podium, one of whom immediately took my bags. Save for the walk down the jetbridge, with my carry-on, I had yet to physically come into contact with either of my bags since arriving in Thailand!
The receptionist asked for my name and upon confirming my reservation, arranged for me to be escorted to the Club Signature floor, for check-in.
We first took an elevator to the main lobby floor, which also houses a lovely bar area (where I would later use my platinum drinks coupons).
We then proceeded to another bank of elevators, for the final ascent to the cub floor.
View of the ballroom floor, whilst waiting for lifts to the Club Floor
This kind of check-in is not difficult to do, particularly at this early time of day but it definitely makes you feel like you are being extra specially looked after. I was asked to take a seat on the sofa and offered a drink. Another double espresso, very strong and slightly sour, giving way to a sweet finish. Excellent. Things were looking good.
View of Signature Reception, as seen from the Club
Coffee!
The lounge itself was decorated in a very modern yet elegant way. The feeling I constantly had throughout my stay was that this hotel managed to be everything a W aspires to be, whilst also being friendly and elegant (as opposed to aloof and tacky).
Check-in was very quick and easy, I had my Platinum/ Club Signature benefits explained to me:
Early check-in (it was still pre-7am at this point)
Late check out
Breakfast in the lounge or main restaurant
Afternoon tea
Evening drinks and canapes
I was also asked when I planned to check out. When I said it would be early in the morning the girl checking me in said they could organise a take-away breakfast box for me. I said this wouldn’t be necessary but thought this was a really nice touch.
I was given time to finish my coffee and as soon as I exited the lounge, the same girl was waiting, ready to show me to my room.
The hallways in the Sofitel So are enormous and by far the most impressively designed of any hotel I’ve ever seen.
I almost felt bad about the amount of wasted floorspace. The contrasting sculptures, lights and textures really make you feel like you are somewhere special, somewhere that has been designed with precision and flair.
My first impression of the room was superb. This was even better than the pictures on the website. I particularly liked the fact that there was an Apple TV, for internet browsing, youtube etc. as well as a comfortable sofa chair and table next to it.
The most striking feature of the room, aside from the view, was the enormous bathtub. Seriously you could fit 4 people in that thing. I also quite liked the glass behind the bed, which permitted natural light to enter the walk in wardrobe/ dressing room.
Up yours Nespresso
I really liked this view from the room
I had told the girl checking me in that I was really tired after my flight, she showed me how to close the electronic blinds asked me if I needed anything else and wished me a pleasant sleep.
My alarm woke me a couple of hours later. I felt like I’d left half my brain on the moon. The bed was so comfy but I knew that I didn’t want to waste my day lying in bed, particularly when there was an Asian hotel breakfast buffet waiting for me downstairs!
So, I staggered down to the restaurant floor. A discombobulated, somnambulous marionette of a man.
My mental state was in no way improved by this seeing this guy, greeting me across a pool of water, behind which was some restaurant seating.
I began to formulate a plan to pay him for safe passage to the seats, perhaps he’d pose me a riddle… then I realised that the restaurant entrance was behind me.
I was asked for my room number and sat in the middle of a room absolutely buzzing with atmosphere. The Red Oven restaurant has tons of natural light, high ceilings and great views across the park. There is also an outside terrace area and a sleek looking bar at one end. In this room I strongly felt that I was far from home. This level of energy is just never present in Europe.
I forgot to take pictures in the restaurant because I was a foggy passenger in a barely responsive cadaver. I apologise.
Anyway, the food and coffee were really good. There were approximately one billion dishes to choose from, as is par for the course in Asia. This included everything from dim sum to pasta to freshly baked pastries. The food throughout my stay was phenomenal. A good deal of the staff at the Sofitel are French and this includes the chefs. This really showed in the baking and cheese selections, in particular.
After breakfast I headed back to the Signature Club floor to ask for directions and a map for the day. I was told that Club room guests get a free one day pass for the Skytrain (an extra benefit not mentioned on my letter), which is a nice touch. The Club desk staff were always super friendly and helpful, whenever I came back to my room they would welcome me back and ask specifics about how my day had gone. This was always done in a charming and friendly way, rather than the by the book professionalism that seems to underpin proceedings at other hotels in this league.
After a day of sightseeing I headed back to the room and found that some fruit, snacks and drinks had been left for me
Pretty much every time I set foot in my room, I noticed that some amount of cleaning/ tidying had taken place. Toiletries were always replenished, clothing was folded and tidied and fresh bottles of water were left in the fridge.
I went to check out the pool in the afternoon, it was super busy but absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, my first little corner wasn't the best:
I would recommend avoiding the late afternoon here, as it is the time when everyone has come back from a busy day and is looking to relax.
At night , lit up, the pool was fantastic and deserted
Before 3pm the pool was always quiet too
that's more like it
After a bit of time relaxing by the pool I decided to investigate the cocktail hour at the lounge.The food spread was fantastic, with fresh items being brought out constantly.There was a decent selection of French and Australian wines and staff were very proactive in coming to serve you cocktails (although you could always help yourself too).
I liked the fact that staff came round to take last orders, a few minutes before the cocktail hour was due to finish. At no point did I ever feel that this property was penny pinching (something which cannot be said for numerous other 5* properties in Asia, particularly in Japan).
The staff were also great at remembering drinks preferences. I came in for a decaf before bed at 11pm one evening and was greeted by the same server the following morning, asking if I still wanted decaf or if I needed some caffeine in the morning. Little touches like this, really set the Sofitel So apart.
These burgers were so freaking good.
The view from the Club terrace isn't bad either
In the morning of day 2 I checked out the gym facilities, before breakfast. The facilities were great but I felt that the gym staff were substantially less polished than those on the club floor. They didn’t apologise at all when I pointed out that I’d been given a dirty towel, they pushed past guests using machines, in order to show other guests around etc. Not huge failings but I feel they need pointing out, for the sake of completeness.
On day two I had breakfast on the terrace of the club lounge.
I went for the eggs Benedict a la carte, as well as a selection of bites from the buffet.
The EB were cooked and presented perfectly.
On day three I went for the Japanese breakfast option, after the buffet, this was (once again) excellent.
Dessert? I guess.
Throughout my stay, I also made use of the spa. I’ve never really done this before but the prices were really competitive and the stairs leading up from the gym looked really inviting. The whole process was very well executed, from the greeting on arrival, confirmation of music and tea choices, the finish of all the surfaces in the spa, even the presentation of the chocolates was cool and different.
I honestly felt like I could completely relax and forget about any distractions of the outside world.
I liked it so much that I ended up going three times for three different treatments.
Other notes: you get 2 pieces of dry cleaning per day for free as a Platinum member. This wasn’t mentioned in the letter but the staff were aware of the benefit when asked. I wanted a couple of things cleaning before my early morning flight to NRT. I handed them in at about 3pm. When I came back from dinner, at 10pm, my shirt and trousers were already hung up in my wardrobe.
As a platinum member you also get a drinks voucher for use in the lobby bar.
Because I was staying alone, the hostess proactively suggested that I should get two drinks and made sure that the server knew this. I said I was heading out to dinner and didn’t want to have two drinks beforehand, she said no problem you can have your second drink later.
True to her word, a few hours later I came back, the server immediately recognised me and asked “Mr Jermyn, same again”?
I also checked out the rooftop bar, for a final nightcap. The ambience was very trendy and ‘hip’, if you’re into that sort of thing. I personally prefer the laid back atmosphere in the lobby bar and club lounge. Although, I have to admit, the view was pretty cool.
Overall this was one of my best ever hotel stays. The staff were a huge part of this. Despite this being a 5*hotel, the service managed to be proactive and friendly without any stuffiness or excess formality at all. The most formal people were those behind desks at reception downstairs and in the main lobby, even they would always grin and greet you with a a wai whenever you walked past.
'So' long Sofitel. See you again soon!
Last edited by Jermyn; May 1, 2014 at 12:13 am
May 10, 2014, 5:45 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Bangkok
-including the Intercontinental buffet
Believe it or not, I actually managed to see a few cultural sights (and W.T.F.s) in addition to the numerous hotels, planes and airport lounges.
Hopefully you can all get some ideas for your trips to Bangkok
Bangkok, and to a certain extent all of Thailand, seems to be interminably embroiled in a state of political chaos.
I previously lived in Bangkok during the 2010 red shirt protests and was hopeful that the current bout of unrest, would be somewhat less menacing. The yellow shirts are fewer in number and have far more to lose than red shirts, so their protests tend to maintain more of a peaceful veneer.
The first thing I noticed, was how completely deserted the road was between BKK and Lumphini. As we approached the city, the reason for this became clear:
There were blockades all over the major roads of the city. They seemed like more of an annoyance than anything. There was nothing really stopping you from getting out of your car and moving the barriers away. It's just that nobody really wanted the hassle.
People seemed to be constantly confused by the barriers though. Like they weren't aware that they were actually going to be able to physically block their vehicles. As you can see in the picture, there were lots of close calls between cars, although I didn't see any actual mayhem. It was mostly just a bit of slapstick driving. Standard in this part of the World anyway.
It was strange to see Asoke junction and all of Sukhumvit shut down, although there really weren't many people actually watching the speeches. It seemed like more than anything, these protests served to pedestrianise large swathes of Bangkok and turn them into food and t-shirt markets.
shopping
speeches
On my first full day, I decided to explore the area near the Sofitel. First I went to Wat Hua Lamphong. Where you could see:
Statues covered in gold leaf
A series of bells
Signs directing you to sacred objects
And a pretty hefty dose of W.T.F.
After killing time in the temple I walked over to my main destination for the day but not before another follow up W.T.F. moment:
I can just imagine the meeting now.
"we need a spokesperson, a mascot even, something that really shows that we are a cutting edge mobile phone company"
"what about an inflatable, muscular, anthropomorphic lion with an enormous blue propeller protruding from his rectum?"
....
....
"I like it!"
Anyway. After a few minutes walk I arrived at my destination
No, not a secret Aman in the centre of Bangkok.
This is the wonderfully opulent, Bangkok snake hospital. Where you can visit a fully functioning snake farm.
It transpires that a snake farm is a place where they raise venomous snakes in order to extract their venom and inject it into horses, who are immune to snake venom - due to their ability to create antibodies. These antibodies are then extracted from the horses and used to treat human snakebite victims.
One of the coolest snakes was this aquatic chap.
I watched him catch a fish and after a while I continued on to a live demonstration of snake "milking", done inside the hospital building.
When I returned, he looked not dissimilar to how I would end up looking aboard my NH F flight, a few days later:
The following day I headed to some of the more usual tourist sights.
Wat Saket (golden mount temple) had some awesome gardens on the walk up.
Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Wednesday evening. Obviously.
The Golden Mount
And I thought Catholic places of worship were blinged up
A guardian of the reclining buddha
A slightly more unorthodox temple guardian
Some super intricate spires
I was pretty disappointed that nobody did a "Tiger Uppercut"
If you've read this far, here's a treat: More hotel and food related photos. I decided to try out the Intercontinental buffet, having heard that the selection was amazing. The hotel itself was very grand, the Sofitel was much more to my taste but the Intercontinental definitely looked decent:
The selection of food was indeed amazing. My favourite part was the foie gras counter, where they would pan fry fresh foie gras and deliver it to your table. There was also a waygu beef carvery and a sushi counter, with fresh nigiri, rolls and sashimi made to order.
Plate 1: Roasted Wagyu beef, char siu pork, prime rib and dim sum
Plate 2: A generous serving of foie gras
Plate 3: Prawns, lobster, rock lobster and squid
Plate 4: Sashimi selection (with freshly grated wasabi)
Plate 5: Slow cooked lamb, beef rib with mushrooms and sea bass
Plate 6: More Wagyu, properly cooked this time
Plate 7: Dessert. More foie gras. With a limited carbohydrate selection
The best part of this buffet, aside from the phenomenal service and delicious food, was the surprise when I asked for the cheque.
I was told by the super friendly hostess that they were currently running a promotion which discounts the buffet by 50%. So all that food... cost about $25!
Whilst we're on the subject of food, I've got to say that the food court at MBK always hits the spot:
(L) Spicy papaya salad with preserved crab. (R) Seafood Pad Thai
After all that, I think you're all about ready to see a real dessert:
A sign of things to come in Japan.
-including the Intercontinental buffet
Believe it or not, I actually managed to see a few cultural sights (and W.T.F.s) in addition to the numerous hotels, planes and airport lounges.
Hopefully you can all get some ideas for your trips to Bangkok
Bangkok, and to a certain extent all of Thailand, seems to be interminably embroiled in a state of political chaos.
I previously lived in Bangkok during the 2010 red shirt protests and was hopeful that the current bout of unrest, would be somewhat less menacing. The yellow shirts are fewer in number and have far more to lose than red shirts, so their protests tend to maintain more of a peaceful veneer.
The first thing I noticed, was how completely deserted the road was between BKK and Lumphini. As we approached the city, the reason for this became clear:
There were blockades all over the major roads of the city. They seemed like more of an annoyance than anything. There was nothing really stopping you from getting out of your car and moving the barriers away. It's just that nobody really wanted the hassle.
People seemed to be constantly confused by the barriers though. Like they weren't aware that they were actually going to be able to physically block their vehicles. As you can see in the picture, there were lots of close calls between cars, although I didn't see any actual mayhem. It was mostly just a bit of slapstick driving. Standard in this part of the World anyway.
It was strange to see Asoke junction and all of Sukhumvit shut down, although there really weren't many people actually watching the speeches. It seemed like more than anything, these protests served to pedestrianise large swathes of Bangkok and turn them into food and t-shirt markets.
shopping
speeches
On my first full day, I decided to explore the area near the Sofitel. First I went to Wat Hua Lamphong. Where you could see:
Statues covered in gold leaf
A series of bells
Signs directing you to sacred objects
And a pretty hefty dose of W.T.F.
After killing time in the temple I walked over to my main destination for the day but not before another follow up W.T.F. moment:
I can just imagine the meeting now.
"we need a spokesperson, a mascot even, something that really shows that we are a cutting edge mobile phone company"
"what about an inflatable, muscular, anthropomorphic lion with an enormous blue propeller protruding from his rectum?"
....
....
"I like it!"
Anyway. After a few minutes walk I arrived at my destination
No, not a secret Aman in the centre of Bangkok.
This is the wonderfully opulent, Bangkok snake hospital. Where you can visit a fully functioning snake farm.
It transpires that a snake farm is a place where they raise venomous snakes in order to extract their venom and inject it into horses, who are immune to snake venom - due to their ability to create antibodies. These antibodies are then extracted from the horses and used to treat human snakebite victims.
One of the coolest snakes was this aquatic chap.
I watched him catch a fish and after a while I continued on to a live demonstration of snake "milking", done inside the hospital building.
When I returned, he looked not dissimilar to how I would end up looking aboard my NH F flight, a few days later:
The following day I headed to some of the more usual tourist sights.
Wat Saket (golden mount temple) had some awesome gardens on the walk up.
Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Wednesday evening. Obviously.
The Golden Mount
And I thought Catholic places of worship were blinged up
A guardian of the reclining buddha
A slightly more unorthodox temple guardian
Some super intricate spires
I was pretty disappointed that nobody did a "Tiger Uppercut"
If you've read this far, here's a treat: More hotel and food related photos. I decided to try out the Intercontinental buffet, having heard that the selection was amazing. The hotel itself was very grand, the Sofitel was much more to my taste but the Intercontinental definitely looked decent:
The selection of food was indeed amazing. My favourite part was the foie gras counter, where they would pan fry fresh foie gras and deliver it to your table. There was also a waygu beef carvery and a sushi counter, with fresh nigiri, rolls and sashimi made to order.
Plate 1: Roasted Wagyu beef, char siu pork, prime rib and dim sum
Plate 2: A generous serving of foie gras
Plate 3: Prawns, lobster, rock lobster and squid
Plate 4: Sashimi selection (with freshly grated wasabi)
Plate 5: Slow cooked lamb, beef rib with mushrooms and sea bass
Plate 6: More Wagyu, properly cooked this time
Plate 7: Dessert. More foie gras. With a limited carbohydrate selection
The best part of this buffet, aside from the phenomenal service and delicious food, was the surprise when I asked for the cheque.
I was told by the super friendly hostess that they were currently running a promotion which discounts the buffet by 50%. So all that food... cost about $25!
Whilst we're on the subject of food, I've got to say that the food court at MBK always hits the spot:
(L) Spicy papaya salad with preserved crab. (R) Seafood Pad Thai
After all that, I think you're all about ready to see a real dessert:
A sign of things to come in Japan.
Last edited by Jermyn; Aug 12, 2015 at 3:58 pm
May 11, 2014, 12:52 pm
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
BKK-NRT TG F 380 and TG F lounge (BKK)
OK, I'm not ashamed to admit, I had zero sleep the night before this flight. I knew I had to be up early in order to get to BKK in time to enjoy the lounge and spa.
I was so excited to finally fly on a whalejet, I just couldn't sleep.
By about 4am, I decided to crank up the Illy coffee machine and officially "wake up".
I had an incredibly talkative taxi driver, who I'm sure was very friendly, although it was hard to tell for sure because he knew as many words in English as I do in Thai.
The conversation was a bit like this, with the ironic twist being that I played the role of the Asian man.
It's always a fantastic feeling, pulling up to a special area of the airport for a flight (my favourite so far is the Virgin Upper Class Wing at LHR). TG has its F Class check-in area on the far left hand side of BKK. So, it's the first part of the airport you come across when you approach by car.
The F dragons quickly asked if I was flying in F and waved me through to the check-in area. I was invited to take a seat in a huge comfy chair and offered some water and a cold towel.
I handed over my passport and watched as 4 people attempted to decipher my routing.
The lady in purple came over to ask if I wanted to reserve a massage and also said they could check me in for my onward flights on OZ. I asked if they would be able to reserve seat 1K on both flights, as row 1 was blocked online.
Success!
I was handed All 3 boarding passes on TG stock:
BKK-NRT
NRT-ICN
ICN-NRT
Getting seat 1K on the NRT-ICN leg meant that I was guaranteed an F seat sold as C (another one of life's great feelings)
I was escorted through security by one of the F dragons, who informed me that this morning's flight was no longer 3/12 in F as a load of UA passengers had been IRROPED onto the TG388. With that slightly bad news, she handed over to my buggy driver.
My chariot awaits
I don't know if it was just my sleep deprivation, affecting my perception of time and motion, but the buggy seemed to be going ridiculously fast. This was fine by me; I had a 1 hour massage booked and about 1h45 til take off.
I was greeted at the Spa and had my 1hr massage confirmed. I was then given my second towel of the day (hot this time) and some tea to drink.
A quick snap of the changing area
Unfortunately, the massage was average at best. The masseuse was wearing a mask, which made the whole affair seem bizzarely clinical, like an autopsy. Also, the room was SUPER cold. She turned the aircon off after a couple of minutes but I was never warm enough to relax, especially given that you could hear airport announcements the whole time.
All in all, not worth coming to the airport early for. Especially given how cheap it is to get a proper Thai massage in Bangkok. The value added is literally $30 at most.
With around 50 minutes to go, I sat in a private room in the F lounge. I was again greeted with a towel (back to cold) and tea. I was also given an iPad menu. A new addition since my last visit to the lounge in 2010.
The service was excellent. My server was very quick to bring me a strong espresso with milk on the side. My food came less than 2 minutes later. The freshly squeezed watermelon juice was really fresh and I was proactively asked if I wanted it standard or blended with ice (a nice touch).
The best I can say about the food component of the breakfast is that it was better than the abomination that was served to me on TG911 a few days earlier. Again, not worth coming to BKK early for.
Off the top of my head, I would take J lounge food in the NRT JL or NH lounges, the VS clubhouse in LHR and the QF J lounge in HKG, over this. Those are all great J lounges but a national carrier in it's home base shouldn't be losing to them in its F lounge.
Shortly after finishing the food (and another coffee) I was informed that my flight was ready to board. I walked to the reception desk, where a greeter met myself and one other F pax and walked us to the gate. It was actually a pretty long walk but for whatever reason there was no buggy. I'm not sure what the criteria are for getting buggies in BKK, they seem to be doled out at random, depending on how many happen to be near you at any given time.
Still, given the amount of eating and drinking taking place on this trip, the walk was probably a good thing.
TG 600
BKK-NRT
8:00am
Airbus A380-800
Seat 2K
load 8/12
Pic taken at NRT (where the terminal windows are more picture friendly)
Upon boarding the plane, my first reaction was pretty much this:
Some cabin shots
The seat was outrageously comfortable. And there was so much storage space that I can't imagine anybody actually using it all.
Moments after taking my seat, a very outgoing and polite male FA came over to offer me some Dom. It's always 5 o'clock somewhere...
those flaps on the right hand side, are lids to some enormous storage compartments
With my drink poured and another Rimowa amenity safely stored away, I was ready to enjoy the tailcam show! Honestly, I can't believe they never thought of doing this before. The concept is awesome. Getting a third person view of the plane, as it taxis and takes off, is just great.
The FA returned to top my glass up quickly and within 10 minutes we were getting ready to take off.
Shortly after take off, a female FA came around the cabin with food and drinks menus. She acknowledged that I had ordered lobster (again) but said I was free to choose anything else, in addition to or instead of the lobster.
Upon opening the drinks menu, I got a mild shock. There was nothing inside. "Are you trying to tell me something?" I asked the FA. "I thought 2 glasses of champagne with breakfast was pretty standard". She immediately went bright red and said, "I'm so embarrassed". She ran off to get the drinks pages for me and immediately offered to get me a drink. Well, who am I to turn down such a lovely offer...
The meal service began with another towel (this was number 5 for the day - and it was still only 9am).
The fruit selection was great, as always tends to be the case on TG.
Yoghurt in a pot, not as fancy as some airlines that empty the yoghurt into a bowl. Pretty much as minor a complaint as it is possible to have, in this life.
The lobster this time was a little chewier than ex-LHR. Still, it's lobster and Dom, for breakfast... in a freaking sky fortress!
You'll be glad to hear that the espresso machine on the TG388 is fully operational.
After breakfast I decided to try and catch up on some sleep. The suite behind me was unoccupied, so I asked an FA to make the bed up for me.
my seat: 2K
my bed/ pillow kingdom: 3K
I decided to download one album before my trip and make that the soundtrack. I listened to it for the first time on this flight and now every time I listen to it, the memories of the whole trip (and this flight in particular) come flooding back.
Good thing I absolutely loved it. I guess the bottle of Dom I'd already drunk at this stage helped to make me more suggestible. The album is The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES.
Here is the first track. Lying in my luxurious bed, boozed up in the early morning, I managed a couple of tracks before drifting off.
This is a huge achievement for me. I've never in my life slept for more than 40 minutes on a plane. A lot of this is to do with the fact that the air is nowhere near as dry on the A380 as on other planes. I really think this is a big factor in jet lag too. Sometimes I'll get a kind of hazy jet lag feeling, even on a shorthaul, and I'm convinced that the dry air is the cause.
I woke up after a good 3 hours of sleep.
I saw that most of the cabin was awake, so decided to open the windows for a lovely morning view.
After making my way through another 5 or so glasses of Dom, I decided to photograph the lavs and lounge, in great depth. Including a panoramic super-shot of the mega-lav.
You lucky people.
The Mega-lav sitting area
Mega-lav vanity area
An awe inspiring, panoramic vista
Stairway to steerage
After all that exploring, my glass of Dom was in sore need of a refill. As was my stomach.
I went for a duck noodle soup, with condiments. It was great. You often find that the simplest foods are the ones that hold up the best in the air. I also think that Asian flavours; strong sweet, sour and umami as well as spice, shine at high altitude.
I managed to polish off a third bottle of Dom just before landing. By this time I'd struck up quite a rapport with the FAs, who were very interested in all the flying I was doing on this trip.
They were also keen to tell me all about the 388, including the routes it flies, how the cabin compares to other in the fleet, etc.
The male FA saw that I had been taking pictures throughout the flight and asked if I wanted to photograph the Dom, "so that you can remember it".
He then came around with a deck of TG A380 playing cards and an orchid (not because I'm special, everybody got these).
And ran over with the bottle, offering me one more glass of Dom before landing. Which I graciously accepted ^#
Cheers!
A pretty frequent sight on this particular flight
Around 20 minutes later, we touched down at NRT. The landing was outrageously smooth. I know everybody mentions how smooth and quiet the takeoff and landing is on the whalejet. They really aren't exaggerating. It is astonishing that a vehicle of this size can move in such a way.
All in all, this was one of my favourite ever flights. The FAs on TG can make or break a flight and once again this crew was a cut above. The hard product is very nice, the white trim does show some signs of wear and tear but really, that is to be expected. Ultimately though, the hard product is well above average and the crews are too. I highly recommend flying TG F if you haven't done so already.
Anyway, back to the trip. The lounges of NRT were waiting for me...
OK, I'm not ashamed to admit, I had zero sleep the night before this flight. I knew I had to be up early in order to get to BKK in time to enjoy the lounge and spa.
I was so excited to finally fly on a whalejet, I just couldn't sleep.
By about 4am, I decided to crank up the Illy coffee machine and officially "wake up".
I had an incredibly talkative taxi driver, who I'm sure was very friendly, although it was hard to tell for sure because he knew as many words in English as I do in Thai.
The conversation was a bit like this, with the ironic twist being that I played the role of the Asian man.
It's always a fantastic feeling, pulling up to a special area of the airport for a flight (my favourite so far is the Virgin Upper Class Wing at LHR). TG has its F Class check-in area on the far left hand side of BKK. So, it's the first part of the airport you come across when you approach by car.
The F dragons quickly asked if I was flying in F and waved me through to the check-in area. I was invited to take a seat in a huge comfy chair and offered some water and a cold towel.
I handed over my passport and watched as 4 people attempted to decipher my routing.
The lady in purple came over to ask if I wanted to reserve a massage and also said they could check me in for my onward flights on OZ. I asked if they would be able to reserve seat 1K on both flights, as row 1 was blocked online.
Success!
I was handed All 3 boarding passes on TG stock:
BKK-NRT
NRT-ICN
ICN-NRT
Getting seat 1K on the NRT-ICN leg meant that I was guaranteed an F seat sold as C (another one of life's great feelings)
I was escorted through security by one of the F dragons, who informed me that this morning's flight was no longer 3/12 in F as a load of UA passengers had been IRROPED onto the TG388. With that slightly bad news, she handed over to my buggy driver.
My chariot awaits
I don't know if it was just my sleep deprivation, affecting my perception of time and motion, but the buggy seemed to be going ridiculously fast. This was fine by me; I had a 1 hour massage booked and about 1h45 til take off.
I was greeted at the Spa and had my 1hr massage confirmed. I was then given my second towel of the day (hot this time) and some tea to drink.
A quick snap of the changing area
Unfortunately, the massage was average at best. The masseuse was wearing a mask, which made the whole affair seem bizzarely clinical, like an autopsy. Also, the room was SUPER cold. She turned the aircon off after a couple of minutes but I was never warm enough to relax, especially given that you could hear airport announcements the whole time.
All in all, not worth coming to the airport early for. Especially given how cheap it is to get a proper Thai massage in Bangkok. The value added is literally $30 at most.
With around 50 minutes to go, I sat in a private room in the F lounge. I was again greeted with a towel (back to cold) and tea. I was also given an iPad menu. A new addition since my last visit to the lounge in 2010.
The service was excellent. My server was very quick to bring me a strong espresso with milk on the side. My food came less than 2 minutes later. The freshly squeezed watermelon juice was really fresh and I was proactively asked if I wanted it standard or blended with ice (a nice touch).
The best I can say about the food component of the breakfast is that it was better than the abomination that was served to me on TG911 a few days earlier. Again, not worth coming to BKK early for.
Off the top of my head, I would take J lounge food in the NRT JL or NH lounges, the VS clubhouse in LHR and the QF J lounge in HKG, over this. Those are all great J lounges but a national carrier in it's home base shouldn't be losing to them in its F lounge.
Shortly after finishing the food (and another coffee) I was informed that my flight was ready to board. I walked to the reception desk, where a greeter met myself and one other F pax and walked us to the gate. It was actually a pretty long walk but for whatever reason there was no buggy. I'm not sure what the criteria are for getting buggies in BKK, they seem to be doled out at random, depending on how many happen to be near you at any given time.
Still, given the amount of eating and drinking taking place on this trip, the walk was probably a good thing.
TG 600
BKK-NRT
8:00am
Airbus A380-800
Seat 2K
load 8/12
Pic taken at NRT (where the terminal windows are more picture friendly)
Upon boarding the plane, my first reaction was pretty much this:
Some cabin shots
The seat was outrageously comfortable. And there was so much storage space that I can't imagine anybody actually using it all.
Moments after taking my seat, a very outgoing and polite male FA came over to offer me some Dom. It's always 5 o'clock somewhere...
those flaps on the right hand side, are lids to some enormous storage compartments
With my drink poured and another Rimowa amenity safely stored away, I was ready to enjoy the tailcam show! Honestly, I can't believe they never thought of doing this before. The concept is awesome. Getting a third person view of the plane, as it taxis and takes off, is just great.
The FA returned to top my glass up quickly and within 10 minutes we were getting ready to take off.
Shortly after take off, a female FA came around the cabin with food and drinks menus. She acknowledged that I had ordered lobster (again) but said I was free to choose anything else, in addition to or instead of the lobster.
Upon opening the drinks menu, I got a mild shock. There was nothing inside. "Are you trying to tell me something?" I asked the FA. "I thought 2 glasses of champagne with breakfast was pretty standard". She immediately went bright red and said, "I'm so embarrassed". She ran off to get the drinks pages for me and immediately offered to get me a drink. Well, who am I to turn down such a lovely offer...
The meal service began with another towel (this was number 5 for the day - and it was still only 9am).
The fruit selection was great, as always tends to be the case on TG.
Yoghurt in a pot, not as fancy as some airlines that empty the yoghurt into a bowl. Pretty much as minor a complaint as it is possible to have, in this life.
The lobster this time was a little chewier than ex-LHR. Still, it's lobster and Dom, for breakfast... in a freaking sky fortress!
You'll be glad to hear that the espresso machine on the TG388 is fully operational.
After breakfast I decided to try and catch up on some sleep. The suite behind me was unoccupied, so I asked an FA to make the bed up for me.
my seat: 2K
my bed/ pillow kingdom: 3K
I decided to download one album before my trip and make that the soundtrack. I listened to it for the first time on this flight and now every time I listen to it, the memories of the whole trip (and this flight in particular) come flooding back.
Good thing I absolutely loved it. I guess the bottle of Dom I'd already drunk at this stage helped to make me more suggestible. The album is The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES.
Here is the first track. Lying in my luxurious bed, boozed up in the early morning, I managed a couple of tracks before drifting off.
This is a huge achievement for me. I've never in my life slept for more than 40 minutes on a plane. A lot of this is to do with the fact that the air is nowhere near as dry on the A380 as on other planes. I really think this is a big factor in jet lag too. Sometimes I'll get a kind of hazy jet lag feeling, even on a shorthaul, and I'm convinced that the dry air is the cause.
I woke up after a good 3 hours of sleep.
I saw that most of the cabin was awake, so decided to open the windows for a lovely morning view.
After making my way through another 5 or so glasses of Dom, I decided to photograph the lavs and lounge, in great depth. Including a panoramic super-shot of the mega-lav.
You lucky people.
The Mega-lav sitting area
Mega-lav vanity area
An awe inspiring, panoramic vista
Stairway to steerage
After all that exploring, my glass of Dom was in sore need of a refill. As was my stomach.
I went for a duck noodle soup, with condiments. It was great. You often find that the simplest foods are the ones that hold up the best in the air. I also think that Asian flavours; strong sweet, sour and umami as well as spice, shine at high altitude.
I managed to polish off a third bottle of Dom just before landing. By this time I'd struck up quite a rapport with the FAs, who were very interested in all the flying I was doing on this trip.
They were also keen to tell me all about the 388, including the routes it flies, how the cabin compares to other in the fleet, etc.
The male FA saw that I had been taking pictures throughout the flight and asked if I wanted to photograph the Dom, "so that you can remember it".
He then came around with a deck of TG A380 playing cards and an orchid (not because I'm special, everybody got these).
And ran over with the bottle, offering me one more glass of Dom before landing. Which I graciously accepted ^#
Cheers!
A pretty frequent sight on this particular flight
Around 20 minutes later, we touched down at NRT. The landing was outrageously smooth. I know everybody mentions how smooth and quiet the takeoff and landing is on the whalejet. They really aren't exaggerating. It is astonishing that a vehicle of this size can move in such a way.
All in all, this was one of my favourite ever flights. The FAs on TG can make or break a flight and once again this crew was a cut above. The hard product is very nice, the white trim does show some signs of wear and tear but really, that is to be expected. Ultimately though, the hard product is well above average and the crews are too. I highly recommend flying TG F if you haven't done so already.
Anyway, back to the trip. The lounges of NRT were waiting for me...
Last edited by Jermyn; May 18, 2014 at 5:28 am
May 12, 2014, 4:22 am
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Thanks Jason.
To be honest I'm not the biggest Dom fan.
For a lot of us on FT, I imagine that Dom drinking is entirely limited to F class cabins. On the ground life is a little different.
The 04 is the only Dom I've ever tried, so I'm afraid I can't give you much of a comparison from a 'vertical' view point.
If we look generally at champagnes served in F cabins: I'm very keen on Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill 2000 (served on OZ and QF F) and Krug NV (SQ, NH, QR, CX).
I buy both of these for special occasions, on the ground but wouldn't do so with the Dom.
Still, if it's there and it's free I won't be saying no to a drop of Moet's finest
To be honest I'm not the biggest Dom fan.
For a lot of us on FT, I imagine that Dom drinking is entirely limited to F class cabins. On the ground life is a little different.
The 04 is the only Dom I've ever tried, so I'm afraid I can't give you much of a comparison from a 'vertical' view point.
If we look generally at champagnes served in F cabins: I'm very keen on Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill 2000 (served on OZ and QF F) and Krug NV (SQ, NH, QR, CX).
I buy both of these for special occasions, on the ground but wouldn't do so with the Dom.
Still, if it's there and it's free I won't be saying no to a drop of Moet's finest
May 12, 2014, 11:43 pm
#27
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: SPG
Posts: 26
Thank you for replying. I have not pulled a Mr. Macabus yet and plow through 8 bottles of Dom but I have come close to drinking the catered champagne on a red eye jfk to nrt once on AA (think it was Piper Heidseick.) FA said it was a light load with 6 bottles loaded.
Anyway, tried the Krug in SQ F on a NRT to SIN and was not a fan. Bought a bottle on the ground and still did not like it. Prefer Dom on the ground and in the air but rarely make it all the way to the front. Usually sit in J and they serve run of the mill stuff there.
To each their own though, happy travels
Anyway, tried the Krug in SQ F on a NRT to SIN and was not a fan. Bought a bottle on the ground and still did not like it. Prefer Dom on the ground and in the air but rarely make it all the way to the front. Usually sit in J and they serve run of the mill stuff there.
To each their own though, happy travels
May 21, 2014, 4:36 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
NRT-ICN OZ C 747 and NRT lounges
After disembarking from my first ever A380 flight, in F no less, the absurdity of my situation struck me.
Before FT, I dreamed of perhaps having one holiday per year in business class yet here I was, midway through a 5 sector, 1 week journey spent entirely in the F cabins of top tier Asian carriers. I had touched down in my final destination but was not content to end my journey here.
I was going to leave Japan and fly to Korea, for the sole purpose of flying out of Korea, on Asiana.
Before all that, I had a 3 bottle of Dom buzz to take care of. More accurately I had to handle the effects of the dwindling buzz whilst successfully completing my transfer to the ICN-NRT flight.
After having my hand luggage scanned I was able to proceed to the regular departures area of NRT. I headed straight for the ANA Suite lounge, excited to find a comfy chair... and a cup of coffee.
It turns out that passengers arriving in *A F with onward tickets in J are not allowed to use *A F lounges in NRT, unless they have arrived in either NH or UA F.
'No problem', I thought. I was going to be heading back to the NH F lounge in a few days anyway. I'd heard about the noodle and sake bar at the NH J lounge and figured it was worth taking a look.
I figured wrong. The place was a zoo. There were people everywhere. I managed to find a quiet corner and proceeded to drink a couple of cups of coffee and about 8 glasses of water.
The decor in the lounge is cool, monochrome, minimalist Japanese.
The biggest downside though is the overcrowding, coupled with a complete lack of natural light. Let me tell you, feeling the way I did, I needed to see the sky. Neon strip lights weren't going to cut it.
Still, I couldn't leave without getting a quick snap of the sake bar for you lovely people.
My search for daylight led me to the UA lounge. I remembered reading on numerous occasions how this was nothing like a regular United lounge and that it was probably the best UA lounge in the world. Having never set foot in one in the States, I can't say for sure. One thing I can say though, this place was a massive improvement over the overcrowded dungeon that NH has for its J fliers.
The lounge is enormous, featuring loads of different seating areas, all of which are partitioned off so that you never feel completely exposed.
The decor is very Japanese, more so than the NH lounge, with numerous art installations dotted around.
There was a decent selection of food and drink, including both Japanese and western choices. Most impressive was the extensive series of different accoutrements supplied for anybody wanting to make a Bloody Mary.
I settled down with a tomato juice and my book and watched the sun set over the tarmac of NRT.
Soon enough it was time to wander over to the gate and board my flight to ICN.
OZ 105
NRT-ICN
8:00am
Boeing 747-400
Seat 1K
load 10/10
The gate agents were very surprised at my TG stock boarding pass. They told me that they would print me a "proper one". They were also very pleased to inform me that I would be "sitting in a very big seat that becomes a bed".
My first impression of the cabin was one of space.
Although there are 10 seats, just like on my TG flight, the cabin just seems to have loads of empty space everywhere.
There was an absurd amount of space between my seat (1K) and the seat next to me (1A).
Seat 1A visible in the distance
Empty cabin pic taken the following day, on my return flight
Of course, this space comes at a cost. The seats themselves are by no means huge. They are perfectly comfortable for a short haul flight though, particularly for those lucky enough to fly them having paid for J.
The cabin was completely full on this flight so I decided to hold off on taking a huge number of pics. Those are coming up on the return flight report!
Moments after taking my seat the CSM came over to introduce herself. By introduce herself I mean, she knelt down next to me, addressed me by name and thanked me profusely for flying Asiana before handing me menus and asking me if there was anything else she could do for me.
So yeah, OZ service? Pretty good.
I glanced through the menu and decided on the beef. An FA came over to take everybody's food and drink orders before take off, thereby ensuring a speedy meal service as soon as the seatbelt signs went off.
I was prepared for the fact that there isn't a huge amount of choice on OZ. As with the old seat though, given the length of the flight the detractors from the OZ experience weren't hugely pronounced.
All 3 courses came out on a single tray.
The salad was pretty standard.
The bread tasted fresh and came out warm.
The beef was excellent as was the rice.
I only had a tiny bit of the dessert, I don't have a massive sweet tooth but thought it tasted pretty good. For this time of day it was appropriately light.
To help me wash all of that down, I went for a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon. I find that this grape variety tends to shine at altitude, where others can get a little washed out.
After taking my empty tray away the FA asked if I would like any tea or coffee. I had noticed that there was an espresso machine on select flights and asked if I could get a decaf espresso. The FA was very apologetic and said that they only had decaf filter coffee.
I told her not to worry.
Here's where the Asiana service came into play, rather than leaving it at that and continuing on to the next pax in this full cabin, the FA proactively offered to make me a camomile tea so that I'd "be able to sleep better".
Not only that, when she brought my tea she also smiled and handed me a bag of mixed nuts, "just in case you're still a bit hungry".
At this stage I was beginning to see what all the Asiana fuss was about.
Little did I know, things would only get more unbelievable.
I got up to go to the bathroom and before I even got to the door I was greeted by two FA's. One of them stood back to allow the other to 'serve'. This FA was both extremely apologetic about the fact that the nearest lav was in use but also enormously happy to guide me to the one which was 5 yards away. "please sir, I'm so sorry but this one is free". Honestly, she had the biggest smile I've ever seen, coupled with extreme nodding and bowing. She seemed barely able to contain her excitement at having anticipated a customer's needs and having found a solution to a problem.
I think I'll remember the look on her face until the day I die.
She still wasn't done though.
As I exited the bathroom, there she was waiting for me. As soon as she spotted me opening the bathroom door, she took a pair of tongs, picked up a steaming hot towelette and handed it to me.
Part of me was thinking, "why the hell would I need a hot towelette after I've just washed and dried my hands in the past 15 seconds". The other part of me went, "this is a wanton indulgence which serves no real purpose other than to make me feel like I'm being taken care of. Plus this has got to be the 16th freaking moist, miniature towel I've been handed today. I could go for the record"!
So yeah, the towel loving part of me won. The FA was overwhelmed with joy.
There was no amenity kit provided but basics were laid out in the bathrooms and each of us was given a pair of grey slippers.
I picked up a toothbrush (or two) whilst I was in the bathroom. It has to be said the OZ toothbrushes are great. They are full size and have medium bristles (as opposed to the airplane standard, steel-like needles) and look pretty cool. In fact I'm still using one of these at the moment.
All in all, I would rate the service as outrageous. The food was ok and the seat, for regional J was outstanding. In paid F on an intercontinental flight, I'd probably pick an airline with a better hard product based on this flight alone.
However upon touching down, I was only a few hours away from my return flight in F, a great opportunity to compare the soft product between classes, whilst keeping the hard product constant.
Before that though I would spend a few hours in the Hyatt Regency Incheon. The often touted, 'best airport hotel in the world'...
After disembarking from my first ever A380 flight, in F no less, the absurdity of my situation struck me.
Before FT, I dreamed of perhaps having one holiday per year in business class yet here I was, midway through a 5 sector, 1 week journey spent entirely in the F cabins of top tier Asian carriers. I had touched down in my final destination but was not content to end my journey here.
I was going to leave Japan and fly to Korea, for the sole purpose of flying out of Korea, on Asiana.
Before all that, I had a 3 bottle of Dom buzz to take care of. More accurately I had to handle the effects of the dwindling buzz whilst successfully completing my transfer to the ICN-NRT flight.
After having my hand luggage scanned I was able to proceed to the regular departures area of NRT. I headed straight for the ANA Suite lounge, excited to find a comfy chair... and a cup of coffee.
It turns out that passengers arriving in *A F with onward tickets in J are not allowed to use *A F lounges in NRT, unless they have arrived in either NH or UA F.
'No problem', I thought. I was going to be heading back to the NH F lounge in a few days anyway. I'd heard about the noodle and sake bar at the NH J lounge and figured it was worth taking a look.
I figured wrong. The place was a zoo. There were people everywhere. I managed to find a quiet corner and proceeded to drink a couple of cups of coffee and about 8 glasses of water.
The decor in the lounge is cool, monochrome, minimalist Japanese.
The biggest downside though is the overcrowding, coupled with a complete lack of natural light. Let me tell you, feeling the way I did, I needed to see the sky. Neon strip lights weren't going to cut it.
Still, I couldn't leave without getting a quick snap of the sake bar for you lovely people.
My search for daylight led me to the UA lounge. I remembered reading on numerous occasions how this was nothing like a regular United lounge and that it was probably the best UA lounge in the world. Having never set foot in one in the States, I can't say for sure. One thing I can say though, this place was a massive improvement over the overcrowded dungeon that NH has for its J fliers.
The lounge is enormous, featuring loads of different seating areas, all of which are partitioned off so that you never feel completely exposed.
The decor is very Japanese, more so than the NH lounge, with numerous art installations dotted around.
There was a decent selection of food and drink, including both Japanese and western choices. Most impressive was the extensive series of different accoutrements supplied for anybody wanting to make a Bloody Mary.
I settled down with a tomato juice and my book and watched the sun set over the tarmac of NRT.
Soon enough it was time to wander over to the gate and board my flight to ICN.
OZ 105
NRT-ICN
8:00am
Boeing 747-400
Seat 1K
load 10/10
The gate agents were very surprised at my TG stock boarding pass. They told me that they would print me a "proper one". They were also very pleased to inform me that I would be "sitting in a very big seat that becomes a bed".
My first impression of the cabin was one of space.
Although there are 10 seats, just like on my TG flight, the cabin just seems to have loads of empty space everywhere.
There was an absurd amount of space between my seat (1K) and the seat next to me (1A).
Seat 1A visible in the distance
Empty cabin pic taken the following day, on my return flight
Of course, this space comes at a cost. The seats themselves are by no means huge. They are perfectly comfortable for a short haul flight though, particularly for those lucky enough to fly them having paid for J.
The cabin was completely full on this flight so I decided to hold off on taking a huge number of pics. Those are coming up on the return flight report!
Moments after taking my seat the CSM came over to introduce herself. By introduce herself I mean, she knelt down next to me, addressed me by name and thanked me profusely for flying Asiana before handing me menus and asking me if there was anything else she could do for me.
So yeah, OZ service? Pretty good.
I glanced through the menu and decided on the beef. An FA came over to take everybody's food and drink orders before take off, thereby ensuring a speedy meal service as soon as the seatbelt signs went off.
I was prepared for the fact that there isn't a huge amount of choice on OZ. As with the old seat though, given the length of the flight the detractors from the OZ experience weren't hugely pronounced.
All 3 courses came out on a single tray.
The salad was pretty standard.
The bread tasted fresh and came out warm.
The beef was excellent as was the rice.
I only had a tiny bit of the dessert, I don't have a massive sweet tooth but thought it tasted pretty good. For this time of day it was appropriately light.
To help me wash all of that down, I went for a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon. I find that this grape variety tends to shine at altitude, where others can get a little washed out.
After taking my empty tray away the FA asked if I would like any tea or coffee. I had noticed that there was an espresso machine on select flights and asked if I could get a decaf espresso. The FA was very apologetic and said that they only had decaf filter coffee.
I told her not to worry.
Here's where the Asiana service came into play, rather than leaving it at that and continuing on to the next pax in this full cabin, the FA proactively offered to make me a camomile tea so that I'd "be able to sleep better".
Not only that, when she brought my tea she also smiled and handed me a bag of mixed nuts, "just in case you're still a bit hungry".
At this stage I was beginning to see what all the Asiana fuss was about.
Little did I know, things would only get more unbelievable.
I got up to go to the bathroom and before I even got to the door I was greeted by two FA's. One of them stood back to allow the other to 'serve'. This FA was both extremely apologetic about the fact that the nearest lav was in use but also enormously happy to guide me to the one which was 5 yards away. "please sir, I'm so sorry but this one is free". Honestly, she had the biggest smile I've ever seen, coupled with extreme nodding and bowing. She seemed barely able to contain her excitement at having anticipated a customer's needs and having found a solution to a problem.
I think I'll remember the look on her face until the day I die.
She still wasn't done though.
As I exited the bathroom, there she was waiting for me. As soon as she spotted me opening the bathroom door, she took a pair of tongs, picked up a steaming hot towelette and handed it to me.
Part of me was thinking, "why the hell would I need a hot towelette after I've just washed and dried my hands in the past 15 seconds". The other part of me went, "this is a wanton indulgence which serves no real purpose other than to make me feel like I'm being taken care of. Plus this has got to be the 16th freaking moist, miniature towel I've been handed today. I could go for the record"!
So yeah, the towel loving part of me won. The FA was overwhelmed with joy.
There was no amenity kit provided but basics were laid out in the bathrooms and each of us was given a pair of grey slippers.
I picked up a toothbrush (or two
) whilst I was in the bathroom. It has to be said the OZ toothbrushes are great. They are full size and have medium bristles (as opposed to the airplane standard, steel-like needles) and look pretty cool. In fact I'm still using one of these at the moment.All in all, I would rate the service as outrageous. The food was ok and the seat, for regional J was outstanding. In paid F on an intercontinental flight, I'd probably pick an airline with a better hard product based on this flight alone.
However upon touching down, I was only a few hours away from my return flight in F, a great opportunity to compare the soft product between classes, whilst keeping the hard product constant.
Before that though I would spend a few hours in the Hyatt Regency Incheon. The often touted, 'best airport hotel in the world'...
May 22, 2014, 12:27 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Great report so far, Jermyn. I admire your dedication to living up to the trip report title. I'm not averse to a nice airborne buzz myself, and when it's achieved via fine vintage champagne then so much the better.
I agree with you about the Dom, in the air at least - it's fairly subtle stuff, and at altitude that fine distinction is lost. Krug, on the other hand, is fantastic in the sky - I have very happy memories of destroying a bottle of it on my only ever NH F flight - but almost too much of a good thing on the ground.
Speaking of on the ground, I've found TG's massages at BKK to be pretty good, including a fairly recent early morning F flight quite similar to yours. Their food, though, is often an embarrassment, both in the lounge and onboard. I find the wine (Dom aside) is pretty mediocre as well.
One other thing - you mentioned the dehydrating atmosphere on planes as preventing you from sleeping. I wonder whether perhaps the extreme booze and coffee consumption has a hand in that dehydration too? :P
My solution is 1) the odd glass of water, as a jet lag/hangover combination is pure evil; and 2) a Xanax for sleeping, which mixes quite delightfully with the champagne - at least with my (slightly) more moderate consumption. Xanax plus 3 bottles of Dom may not be entirely advisable...
Looking forward to the next instalment
I agree with you about the Dom, in the air at least - it's fairly subtle stuff, and at altitude that fine distinction is lost. Krug, on the other hand, is fantastic in the sky - I have very happy memories of destroying a bottle of it on my only ever NH F flight - but almost too much of a good thing on the ground.
Speaking of on the ground, I've found TG's massages at BKK to be pretty good, including a fairly recent early morning F flight quite similar to yours. Their food, though, is often an embarrassment, both in the lounge and onboard. I find the wine (Dom aside) is pretty mediocre as well.
One other thing - you mentioned the dehydrating atmosphere on planes as preventing you from sleeping. I wonder whether perhaps the extreme booze and coffee consumption has a hand in that dehydration too? :P
My solution is 1) the odd glass of water, as a jet lag/hangover combination is pure evil; and 2) a Xanax for sleeping, which mixes quite delightfully with the champagne - at least with my (slightly) more moderate consumption. Xanax plus 3 bottles of Dom may not be entirely advisable...
Looking forward to the next instalment